I dug up the magical girl's corpse.

Chapter 20 Witch

"I'm not having an attack."

Chen Mu said helplessly, looking at the girl in front of him.

This is her current roommate, a fellow patient in the same ward, whose child is named "Xiao Ying".

This isn't a nickname; her bracelet also has this name engraved on it.

Because she was also an orphan, even more so than Chen Mu, she was abandoned in front of this mental hospital as an infant. Later, doctors diagnosed her with mental problems, which may have been the reason she was abandoned by her biological parents. So she was taken in and lived here for six years, and she is now six years old.

It is said that there was only a piece of paper with the character "荧" (Ying) in the swaddling clothes at the time, and that's how Xiao Ying got her name.

"Sister, can you continue having these episodes?"

Xiao Ying looked at Chen Mu with a childlike expression and said, "I still want to hear more stories about magical girls. It's been so long since I heard them."

"That unlucky kid..." Chen Mu couldn't help but glare at her.

Xiao Ying has long black hair that reaches her waist. Perhaps because she takes a bath every day, her hair is clean and tidy and not dirty.

This little girl is cute and well-behaved, with a round face that is very endearing.

However, his expression was somewhat blank and foolish. Although he was six years old, which is the age to start elementary school, his intelligence was still about the same as that of a kindergarten child.

She's a pitiful child, and thinking of this, Chen Mu's tone softened as he asked her:

"Are there really no magical girls in our world?"

"Of course."

Xiao Ying answered matter-of-factly.

"Hmm..." Chen Mu fell into deep thought. Of course, she wouldn't be foolish enough to just listen to a child's opinion. During these few days in the hospital, she could actually watch TV.

Of course, the television wasn't in the ward, but in the main hall in the middle of the corridor. There was a television set high up, and it would show some news programs every morning and evening, as a form of entertainment for the patients. However, only patients who behaved well could watch it. Chen Mu had watched it a few times in the past few days and quickly discovered the differences in this world.

First of all, there are no magical girls or monsters in this world.

In the past, news reports would often feature monster attacks on cities and heroic scenes of magical girls defeating them. After the monster wars ended, there would be live broadcasts of league matches, commentary, award ceremonies, and news about the magical girls themselves. It's fair to say that everything in that world revolved around magical girls.

But the news in this world now is perfectly normal; there's nothing there.

They all talk about current affairs, people's livelihood, social events, finance, and even the international situation. The world seems very peaceful. Compared to before, the world has at least not encountered any natural disasters.

Even the cultural and sports entertainment are just ordinary things like football and basketball, and have nothing to do with magical girls.

"So, the key difference between this parallel world and the previous timeline is that monsters haven't appeared, and there are no magical girls...?"

Chen Mu pondered.

No wonder she, who calls herself a "magical girl," seems out of place here and was arrested as a mental patient.

I think I understand now.

"But, I'll let you in on a little secret..." Xiaoying suddenly leaned close to her ear and whispered, "There aren't any magical girls here, but there are witches!"

"You've said that several times already."

Chen Mu rubbed his aching ear, feeling like he was experiencing tinnitus.

"Hehehe, is that so...?"

Xiao Ying smiled foolishly.

Regarding this "witch," Chen Mu remembered that Xiao Ying had mentioned it to him when he first woke up here.

That seems to be her unique "worldview".

As a mental patient, Xiaoying suffers from the same illness as Chen Mu: delusional disorder. The only difference is that Chen Mu's delusions are about magical girls, while hers are about witches.

Perhaps the two people had such similar experiences and their fantasies were similar, so the doctor simply arranged for them to share a ward.

Thinking of this, Chen Mu suddenly became interested and said:

"Shine, you've always been the one listening to my stories. In exchange, how about you tell me about the [witch]?"

"Oh? Sister, you're finally interested? You never listened to me before!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Ying seemed to become very excited, her eyes shining.

"I wasn't quite sober before."

Chen Mu patted the spot next to the hospital bed, and Xiao Ying plopped down on it.

"Witch...witch, where should I begin..."

She counted on her fingers, suddenly becoming very confused. She had so much to say, but it was all crammed together and hard to say.

Chen Mu reminded her, "Don't rush, let's start with what a witch is."

Although she had never been a kindergarten teacher, she had wanted to have children before, so she had learned some skills in coaxing children.

After Chen Mu patted her head, Xiao Ying calmed down and began to speak very seriously: "Witches are completely different from magical girls! They don't need to absorb magic power, nor do they need any 'seeds of the heart' to cultivate. They rely on 'contracts.' As long as a contract is signed, one can become a witch and control extraordinary power."

"Sign a contract?" Hearing this term, Chen Mu felt it sounded familiar: "Sign with whom?"

"And [angels]!"

Xiao Ying said with a smile, "Angels are symbols of beautiful things. The more beautiful the thing, the stronger its power, and the more contracts it can issue."

Angels and witches? These two words just don't seem to go together...

"Shouldn't angel contracts be called something like 'saint' or something? And shouldn't the source of a witch contract be a demon?"

Chen Mu naturally raised his own questions. Although he knew that this might be a delusion caused by mental illness, he still unconsciously began to think about it seriously.

"Hehe, I've told a lot of people about this, but you're the first one to notice it, sister~"

Xiao Ying covered her mouth with a grin, seemingly very pleased with herself.

She deliberately paused for a moment, building up the anticipation, before lowering her voice and speaking slowly:

"Because the so-called 'contract' is actually a trap! Those seemingly cute angels are actually fairies, the 'familiars' of those great witches! They deliberately sign contracts with young witches to become their subordinates, distributing power to them, and then devouring them once they grow up! Sister, you must never sign a contract and become a witch!"

"oh oh……"

Xiao Ying was gripping his sleeve tightly, with great force, and judging from her tone, it didn't seem fake at all.

Seeing the genuine concern and worry in her eyes, Chen Mu didn't want to spoil her mood, so he could only agree:

"I see."

At that moment, the two of them heard several loud bangings coming from the ward door!

Bang bang bang!

Upon hearing this voice, Xiao Ying was immediately filled with extreme fear. She shrank back uneasily and trembled as she said:

"It's a witch! The witch is here! I shouldn't have said that! They heard us!"

While comforting her, Chen Mu looked over and saw that the sound of the door was getting louder and louder, as if it was about to be torn down.

Bang bang bang! Bang bang bang!

Her eyes began to show some unease...

Has the witch really arrived?